Lemme chime in here and help clarify a few things. Just being factual, and I do agree with you, he was being a little difficult by not offering an explanation. Not being argumentative or taking sides, just maybe offering a view from their perspective. Hopefully this clears things up for you:

Finding a car for a customer is called a Locate. Locate deals are much the same in the states as they are in Canada, sounds like. Commitments are generally a requirement, because once we find your car, we have to purchase the car from that other dealership, and the dealership we purchase the car from usually charges us for "adds" (minor options placed on the vehicle to add value and add profit, like mudflaps or paint protectants), as well as the invoice, not including Holdback. A car purchased from another dealership doesn't have the Holdback (small amount of profit the dealership would make if the car is sold at invoice) to fall back on, which helps make the best deal possible. For us to Locate a car just for you to look at, and then have you back out of the deal can result in alot of lost money. And yes, the Locate database (at least the one my dealership uses) does cost a fee to use per search.

Basically, in your situation, with the deal you're getting on the 2012, the salesman may be worried that you would expect the same pricing on a 2013, which has less rebates and to compound the situation, would be a Locate. Salesmen are very vocal with each other as well, and I'm sure every salesman knows who you are, and how many times you've been to the dealership over the past 2-3 months or so, how many hours you've spent test driving, etc. In the car business, people like that who waste many different salespeople's time and never buy are called bogues (not saying you are, just saying what they probably thought you were doing).

So all in all, the salesman, in his view, thought he was being jerked around yet again by the same guy who has been visiting for the past few months. Asking him for a locate probably was the last straw, and he now wants a commitment up front in order to justify possibly losing more time to a person who may or may not buy. Remember, this is his living. A part of being a successful salesman is spending time wisely, as time spent with customers who have a "history" of non-committal dealings takes time away from customers who are ready to buy.

Note the way he repeatedly stated that he wanted a commitment from you.

Hopefully you understand what he is experiencing. Now, that doesn't excuse any pushyness or rudeness he may have displayed towards you, but I would advise you to maybe return to the dealership without calling ahead, and then ask for the salesman. This allows you to put a little bit of inadvertent pressure on him, as he can't brush you off as easily as he did over the phone, and he can't prime his managers by saying you're here to waste more time. If possible, go to a manager and ask politely if there really is a deposit required for a locate deal, as you are a serious and motivated buyer. If you really want to make them treat you like royalty, say something like
"If you guys can find what I want, I'm ready to buy today". (Of course, only if you really are ready!)

Thanks for reading lol. Hope your search goes well, and you become the satisfied owner of a new 1er. Cheers!